• BioTronik (Berlin) reported the global launch of the new Biotronik Home Monitoring. The system is based on more than eight years of experience in remote monitoring technology and extensive research among both physicians and patients. Biotronik says the home monitoring is available across the entire product portfolio of pacemakers, ICDs and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices allowing physicians to remotely monitor their patients' clinical and device status at any time and from anywhere in the world.

• Covidien (Boulder, Colorado) reported the U.S. launch of the Puritan Bennett 540 portable ventilator. The ventilator runs on a lithium-ion battery that provides up to 11 hours (depending on settings and other factors) of power and features a real-time battery life indicator that is a significant technological advancement. The indicator displays remaining battery life in hours and minutes, instead of as a percentage of charge, eliminating guesswork about when the ventilator needs to be connected to a power source for recharging. The portability, long battery life and ease of use of the Puritan Bennett 540 ventilator enables a ventilator-dependent patient to pursue daily activities with confidence and peace of mind, ultimately enhancing quality of life.

• Ekahau (Reston, Virginia), a provider of Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), reported that it will make available a family of small, mobile battery-powered transmitters, called Ekahau location beacons, to further increase the location accuracy of its Wi-Fi RTLS solution. These beacons are designed to enhance system performance in areas that have poor Wi-Fi coverage but where location accuracy is critical.

• Invatec (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) received FDA clearance to market its Amphirion Deep 150 mm Long PTA Balloon and Tapered 210 mm Long PTA Balloon in the U.S. The 150 mm and Tapered 210 mm Long Balloons are indicated to dilate stenoses in the femoral, popliteal and infra-popliteal arteries, while sharing the same unique design and quality features as the rest of the Amphirion Deep product line. The unique Tapered 210 mm Long Balloon is anatomically-designed to provide more precise balloon-to-vessel conformability in the narrowed and tapered distal regions of the leg and foot.

• Innocoll (Ashburn, Virginia) said that its subsidiary, Innocoll Pharmaceuticals, has filed a 510(k) application for its CollaRx Lidocaine Sponge for the management of painful wounds. The CollaRx Lidocaine Sponge is a lyophilized collagen sponge containing purified type-I collagen protein and lidocaine, a locally acting anesthetic. The product is intended to be used for the management of painful wounds including: diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, ulcers caused by mixed vascular etiologies, full-thickness & partial thickness wounds, abrasions, traumatic wounds, 1st and 2nd degree burns and dehisced surgical wounds.

• Inverness Medical Innovations (Waltham, Massachusetts) said that it will begin marketing and distributing the new C. Diff Quik Chek Complete rapid test as an in vitro diagnostic aid for Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD). This follows Techlab's (Blacksburg, Virginia) recent clearance from the FDA to manufacture the product for Inverness. C. difficile is responsible for the most common form of hospital-acquired diarrhea and antibiotic-associated colitis.

• Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee), a medical imaging solutions provider, reported the addition of Fusion Hosted RIS/PACS and Fusion Hosted PACS solutions to its portfolio of managed services. These new "software as a service" solutions provide a cost-effective alternative for healthcare organizations seeking to create a more efficient digital environment for patient images and information. A pay-per-study model provides affordable and easy access to the newest releases of Merge Healthcare's digital imaging software solutions with minimal on-site IT management of the system.

• Royal Philips Electronics (Andover, Massachusetts) reported several enhancements to the HeartStart MRx, a monitor/defibrillator for advanced life support-trained caregivers in the emergency medical services and hospital environments. The HeartStart MRx now includes new clinical decision support tools, updated data management solutions and next-generation Q-CPRTM technology that can be used by a healthcare system as part of a program to improve cardiac care.